The Message In This
by Atoms and Elements
Summary: There is a message in the actions; looking straight or backwards, it'll always be there whether you care or not. Dedicated to Naruto's birthday. AU. Non-massacre. Still-living Yondaime.


_**A/N:**_** Dedicated to Naruto's motherfucking birthday, and dedicated to my favourite couple of all time. Happy birthday, you fictional kiddo.**

/...\

_One-Shot_

**Third Person POV:**

**[The foot taps]**

He'd been waiting for an hour. Possibly. It _felt_ like an hour anyway, and even if the clock showed a slightly different time than the one in his head, the _other_ was still late. The frustration had built up a long time ago, now passing over into a dull, slow burning anger; it was only a miracle that he was used to this lateness or…

The boy scoffed, running a hand through his usually immaculate hair, further mussing it up. His foot tapped incessantly against the cobblestone ground—it was a rather embarrassingly bad habit for an Uchiha, but not one he could very much help. The small box in his hand shook from the force of his tapping.

"_Sasuke!"_

He rolled his eyes internally. How apt; he was so impatient that he was imagining the dobe's voice calling out his name. But that couldn't be right, because the idiot was _never_ so early, despite still being a half hour late. It was unfortunate that the dobe had picked up the worst habits from their lecherous teacher.

"_Sauce-keh!"_

Even in his delusions, the idiot still said his name in that _annoyingly_ patronizing way. God, of all people why'd he have to have _Uzumaki_-delusions? He couldn't have a halfway tolerable voice in his head, like the Hyūga heiress or her cousin? _Anything_ other than that grating high-pitched voice…

"SAUCE-KEH!"

The yell slipped past his eardrums, causing the Uchiha to flinch. Turning his head just fractionally, he stared right into the face of the most obnoxious ninja Konoha had ever produced. And sadly, also his best friend. Sasuke sighed once, letting the impatience show on his usually cold face.

"You're early, dobe." He said this with a touch of irony.

**[A laugh]**

"Uh, _duh_. It's my birthday. You got me a present. I want it, 'ttebayo."

The blond shinobi let a hand fall out, gesturing for Sasuke to hand over the little box in his hand. Said Uchiha lifted a delicately plucked eyebrow (which the dobe often gave him grief for, teasing him about primping like a _girl_), a subtle smirk playing on his thin lips.

"_This?_ This isn't for you, dobe. It's an important package I have to give to someone," Sasuke said curtly, tossing the box up and down casually. The Uzumaki frowned.

"Well, where's my present, teme?"

_(How selfish.)_

The raven-haired one shot him a look. "Yondaime-sama spoils you too much. Be patient. You'll get it later."

"Oh, like Mikoto-chan doesn't cater to your every wish as well," Naruto retorted, crossing his arms over his thinner chest. It was pathetic that, between them, Sasuke was the taller, bigger one, even with his sleek, slender Uchiha features (although admittedly the difference wasn't that great).

Sasuke shrugged and stood up without comment, stretching out his taut muscles. Naruto would beg and pout with all the petulance of the Yondaime's only child, but Sasuke would not bend. He hadn't had the Uchiha willpower and stubbornness drilled into him for nothing. Even the Uzumaki's whiny voice was not something he'd let deter him.

Naruto quickly picked up on this fact and gave up on his futile effort to get Sasuke to spill his plans. It did terrible things to his pride—he hadn't grown up humble by any means.

He grumbled to himself under his breath, dragging his shoes in such a manner that had Sasuke rolling his eyes again. "Where are we going now, teme?" The blond whined, making a face.

"…To drop off my package. Obviously."

"Why didn't you do that _before_ I got here?" The complaint was said in a nasally, ear-aching manner, but it was rational, if one thought about it. So even as Sasuke winced from the volume, he snickered once in the quietest sort of voice.

"Don't laugh at me, 'ttebayo," Naruto growled but with no real force.

**[He shakes his head]**

"Whatever, dobe. Let's go."

The command might've riled the maelstrom boy up even more, but Sasuke tuned out his complaining, more focused on other important thoughts. Naruto again caught onto his best friend's current attitude and quieted down, settling for silently fuming as he trailed after the Uchiha. If he was going to remain in silence, then by the gods, he was going to do it with the worst type of temperament.

So in the god awful mood, he plotted, trying to work out all of Sasuke's top annoyances in his mind. But honestly, when it came down to it, everything and anything annoyed the youngest Uchiha heir, especially when it involved one Uzumaki Naruto—and Naruto knew this all too well.

_How complicated._

He rubbed his chin absentmindedly, lost in thought. How could he pick _one_ thing to do when _everything_ he did irritated Sasuke? For that matter, how were they still friends when all they did was strive to make life difficult for the other? Surely such a relationship couldn't be healthy…

Naruto glanced up dubiously at the male in front of him. Sheesh, wasn't there _one_ thing that got to Sasuke more than anything else? For some reason, those thoughts mixed with the pleasant scent of petrichor was driving him absolutely mad.

"Mm. Mm. Mm." They weren't words, but the strange sounds escaped Naruto's throat as he pondered his next course of action. Sasuke shot him a glare over his shoulder, ebony eyes narrowing, not liking the contemplative expression on his companion's face. And the sounds that accompanied his thinking weren't any better.

"Oi, dobe," He called out, just loud enough to capture Naruto's fleeting attention span, "Stop thinking so hard. You're going to hurt yourself."

The change of facial expression on Naruto's face must've appeased the Uchiha, for he turned back his head and continued walking even as the Uzumaki let out a squawk of indignation.

_(How do we still cope?)_

Honestly, it was kind of amusing.

In the midst of their walking, Sasuke suddenly whirled around and grabbed Naruto by the collar, dragging him into a nearby alley. The Uzumaki choked from the force at first, not expecting it in the slightest. The sunny view of the village had spun into a web of darkness by the time he could breathe again.

"_Teme!_" The blond screeched, "What was that for?" His voice must've been carrying, for Sasuke was quick to slap a hand over his mouth, glancing behind him wordlessly.

**[He remains quiet]**

Naruto's eyes wandered over the damp, decrepit walls of the buildings they were squished between and found himself growing increasingly claustrophobic. It was much too small a place, smelling of liquor and vomit, which made Naruto's oversensitive nose twitch.

But Sasuke didn't show signs of letting up in the near future.

The Uzumaki's eyebrow twitched. The feeling of Sasuke's cold, slightly clammy hand covering his mouth was not an enjoyable one, and with only devious thoughts filling his cranium, Naruto let his tongue slip past his lips to swipe across Sasuke's palm.

—_oh, he didn't like that—_

Sasuke hissed as he swiftly yanked his hand back, scowling at the snickering Chūnin. His eyes could've burned holes straight through Naruto's own sky blue orbs, but somehow they did not.

He wiped his saliva-drenched palm on Naruto's jacket.

The Uzumaki let his distaste known at the sight of the slightly damp spot on the orange part of his sleeve.

"Mature," He commented, which was ironic coming from him.

Sasuke had the decency to blush in any case. "Shut up, usuratonkachi, and don't lick me again if you want to keep your tongue." The threat was probably a hundred percent serious, but the combination of Sasuke's red cheeks and downcast eyes caused Naruto to snigger.

**[Another glower]**

_(Cool your jets.)_

Eyeing his comrade with minor suspicion, Naruto lightly questioned the reason for his sudden mood switch. The boy held up a sole finger before Naruto heard it.

"_Sasuke!"_

"_Sasuke-kun!"_

"_Oh, Sasu-kun—"_

Terrified feelings entered both the highly trained shinobi—one a Hokage hopeful and the other a prized prodigy.

They locked eyes for only a moment before dashing down the alleyway, their feet barely a whisper in the air.

They could've faced foe after foe with thirsts for their blood, but there was something oddly frightening about the females who'd dedicated so much of their lives to the unresponsive Uchiha male.

**·**

**·**

**·**

"This is going to be a forever-thing, huh?"

"What are you talking about, dobe?"

"Having to run from your scary admirers, 'ttebayo."

"Hn."

"Teme, that's not an answer."

"Dobe, I know you're envious, but try to tone it—"

"NO, I'M NOT. NOW GIVE ME MY FUCKING PRESENT!"

**·**

**·**

**·**

They were still arguing by the time they arrived at the drop-off point. Naruto had threatened three times to turn around and flag down the lingering Uchiha fangirls, and Sasuke had almost punched him in the face twice.

_(What kind of friendship was supposed to emerge from this?)_

Despite the bad feelings on both ends though, Sasuke had enough decency to let Naruto know how long he'd be gone for. It was all for politeness' sake, of course, and Uchiha Mikoto had raised him in such a way. Of course, Naruto had been raised by the equally fiery Uzumaki Kushina and only responded to Sasuke with his middle finger.

"I don't appreciate that."

"I don't care."

Sasuke stalked off with a shake of his head, and Naruto was left wondering why they'd had to come to the Hyūga estate to begin with. He shrugged it off though because Sasuke was insane and he didn't really care one way or another. The Uchiha could his scary, mysterious self for all he cared, going around leaving odd packages at people's houses.

**[Naruto shudders]**

However, his thoughts began to wander back to his earlier plans of utterly humiliating his best friend. There might've been a trace of sadism within him, but to Naruto there was almost no greater joy than seeing Sasuke flustered and panicked; fear would've been a more preferable option, but even Naruto knew that that'd be pressing it.

—_stupid fearless Uchiha—_

Of course, there was the ever-burning question of _what-to-do_, which was rather bothersome. The blond sat down abruptly and leaned against the stone wall that surrounded the estate. Plan upon plan ran through his mind, but each seemed shallow and ineffective.

There was silence and somehow it made him antsier than before, but it wouldn't leave.

"Annoying, 'ttebayo," He muttered to himself, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his head against them.

Without really meaning to, he allowed the plans to retreat from his brain and the silence to infect him. The crisp air really did awful things to his energy, and even…

**[He feels himself falling asleep]**

It wasn't like Sasuke would be out for a while anyway so—

His thoughts were abruptly cut off.

"_Sasuke-kun, where are you?"_

"_Sasuke-sama!"_

"_Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!"_

Blue eyes that resembled whirlpools snapped open, glancing down the street to see a gaggle of girls sprinting by, various things in their hands (Naruto wasn't sure if he wanted to know). Had they really doubled back after noticing they'd lost sight of the Uchiha? If Naruto was being honest with himself, there was a genuine pity for his best friend in his heart.

The girls with their skimpy clothing and long hair tumbling down their shoulders ran by, and a figurative light-bulb appeared over Naruto's head.

Inside the compound, exchanging pleasant words with the Hyūga he'd been looking for, Sasuke felt a chill shoot straight up his spine.

—_how in tune were they?—_

Wasting not another precious moment, Naruto leapt to his feet, barely checking to see if anyone had seen him before his fingers came together to form his favourite seal. Miles away, Umino Iruka could be seen shaking his head in exasperation, knowing without seeing that his favourite student was up to his old shenanigans.

The white plumes of smoke danced around his body momentarily, hiding the bare tanned flesh from the general public before they dissipated into the air. The male-turned-female stared proudly down at his flawless henge, admiring the relatively buxom body even with its oddly thin waist.

"I am gorgeous," He proclaimed arrogantly, placing a thin-fingered hand on the curve of his thigh. This was _surely_ the thing that would terrify Sasuke most of all (it was also the reason Naruto was still nearly certain his best friend was gay). _Especially_ naked.

**[A frown]**

Now that he thought about it…he glanced down, taking in the generous swell of his female body's breasts and the mile-long legs. Years ago, ambushing Sasuke disguised as a gorgeous, naked girl—knowing that it would only horrify the boy to bits—would've been the epitome of amusement for him.

But it wasn't years ago, and he'd long since matured. _Partially_.

And honestly, as…mentally unhinged as Sasuke's fangirls could be, for the most part they had standards. Despite looking like they were perpetually three steps away from stripping in front of the youngest Uchiha, none of them ever appeared before him fully naked.

Even Sasuke knew that. So it would be futile to just go ahead and do it—the Uchiha would catch on immediately.

_(Speaking of catching on…)_

Naruto frowned deeper. Oh, that was right; Sasuke had been his teammate for many years and _of course_ he'd already seen his oiroke form. He'd have to do some modifications then…not to mention conjure up some clothes. It was disappointing, really, since his oiroke form was every pervert's dream, but necessary.

Bringing his hands back together, the Uzumaki concentrated on the newest adjustments to his female form. Allowing his hair to darken several shades to a honey brown and letting his more-or-less voluptuous body shrink, Naruto pushed back the regretful feelings.

Honestly, he'd grown attached to his female form.

By the time the new clouds rose into the sky away from sight, the body had changed drastically, now including clothes. Not very many by any means, since he still wanted Sasuke uncomfortable, but the tiny shorts and mesh top (with only a strip of orange fabric hiding his breasts) were a deadly combo.

The face might've been cuter and less the exotic beauty he'd been going for, but her round green eyes, cupid-bow lips, and soft cheeks were good enough.

"He'll never know what hit him," The new brunette snickered malevolently. He would need to work on the voice, since his was still easily recognizable, but that wouldn't be too difficult.

**[Silence]**

It occurred to him that he'd have to wait awhile for Sasuke to come back out. Naruto resisted the urge to smash his head right into the stone wall.

It would be taxing, that was for sure, but Naruto merely sighed and leaned back, tapping his sandal-clad foot against the floor. He didn't know how long the Uchiha would be in there for (wasn't he only supposed to drop off the little box?), but Sasuke had the stupid habit of spiting Naruto just because he could.

Another sigh floated into the atmosphere; it would be awhile.

The clouds leisurely took their time crossing the sky, barely flitting past the sun. Naruto squinted as he stared up at the star too far for him to comprehend—somehow, the ever-present light made him feel like the temperature should've been _much_ higher, and yet it somehow wasn't.

_(He still wondered why Shikamaru found such interest in this.)_

More time passed by and Naruto contented himself with throwing rocks at a nearby tree, although that was quickly beginning to also bore him. The Chūnin grumbled incoherently under his breath—honestly, at this point the only reason he was sticking around was to frighten Sasuke, grab his present, and run. How unpleasant this day was turning out to be.

His internal rant was interrupted by the sound of a lock clicking into place and a door opening (why in that order he did not know). Naruto eagerly scrambled to his feet, pouty lips played up in a devilish smirk.

The touch of sadism was still there.

**[He holds his breath]**

And just as a dark shadow emerged from behind the wall and Naruto readied himself to pounce, he let out the beginnings of, "Sasu—"

The voice was not too high-pitch and still managed to be feminine, but it was cut short when Naruto realized that the emerging figure was definitely _not_ Uchiha Sasuke. Because Sasuke's hair did not neatly glide past his shoulders, and he did not somehow walk with the deadly grace of a panther, and he most certainly did not stare at Naruto with such intense leaden eyes.

It was silent for a moment before Naruto broke it. "…You're not Sasuke."

"I'm not," Uchiha Itachi confirmed, tilting his head ever-so slightly, almost as if curiously.

"Ah."

And perhaps if it'd been left at that it might've been fine (awkward, but fine, since Naruto could count on one hand how many times he'd even been in a twelve-meter radius of the Uchiha heir), but Itachi was _still_ standing there and Naruto could feel himself begin to grow restless.

"…Do you need help or anything?" was the only sentence he could force out, barely remembering to keep up his female voice.

**[The other blinks]**

He might've been an acclaimed shinobi and possibly the greatest Uchiha ever born, but fuck if Itachi wasn't just slightly more than creepy sometimes.

"No." Said shinobi shook his head. "…Although you should know that Sasuke's rather busy at the moment and won't be out for a few more hours."

Now _that_ news resonated deeply within the disguised Uzumaki—however, he tried not to let it show; only gapping for a second before regaining control of himself.

"What? …What the hell's he doing in there?"

If Itachi was suspicious as to why an insignificant kunoichi was so concerned with his little brother's business, he did not show it. In fact, with cool, unaffected eyes, he replied, "He had matters to attend to."

Something about the way he said it made Naruto suddenly no longer want to know.

**[Antsy footsteps]**

"Well…if that's all, I guess I'll go—"

"What's your name?"

The unexpected question threw the brunette (fe)male right off track and he glanced up in surprise. The raven-haired male was still staring down at Naruto with the exact same amount of solemnity.

"Your name," He repeated. Naruto could only gawk, not understanding _this_ Itachi in the slightest.

"…Um…it's…uh…Kabayashi…Renge." The name was probably nothing highly unusual, but he'd delivered it in such a horrid way that Itachi would have every reason to be wary.

_(Wary?)_

…Maybe not wary, because that involved Naruto posing some sort of a threat to the Uchiha heir, and even if that could be potentially possible in the years to come (with his progress), it was currently not.

"Kabayashi Renge. It's nice to meet you." He introduced himself quickly afterwards, even though they were both well aware that Naruto knew _exactly_ who he was.

Again, for politeness' sake. Uchiha Mikoto had done well.

Why did the Uchiha seem to be in such a peculiar, sociable mood? Naruto didn't have any explanation for it, but perhaps it was better not to question such things that would eventually cause him to have an aneurysm.

He tried to back out of the whole ordeal instantly. "Well…um…I've got time. I can wait for Sasuke…-kun."

An amused gleam entered Itachi's eyes at the new variation on his brother's name, but his statement reflected not a fraction of that amusement. "Nonsense. If you have so much spare time, join me."

**[A dropped jaw]**

"_Excuse_ me, 'ttebayo?" He was too startled to keep the minor speech impediment out of his sentence.

The dark-haired male arched an eyebrow. "I'm certain I was quite clear. Accompany me."

—_there are reasons Sasuke avoids him—_

An immeasurable silence fell heavily between them as Naruto set his newest eyes on the—potentially—mentally ill Uchiha. However, even at the look that implied such things ranging from disbelief to suspicion (a whole repertoire of like-minded emotions), Itachi did not so much as blink. Was he seriously expecting an answer?

"Are you…serious?"

Cue a blank look. "Obviously."

**[Awkward shuffles]**

"I don't know…I mean I…" It only just occurred to him that there was no _real_ reason to stay transformed as 'Kabayashi Renge', since it wouldn't really be a big deal to admit to the Uchiha heir that he'd been attempting to scare his younger brother.

However, if there was anyone in the world who scared him more than his mother during her moon-time, it was Uchiha Itachi. So changing back into his original form after blatantly lying to the male across from him was just _not_ going to happen.

"What do you mean by_ 'join you'_?" His voice just sounded defeated, because somehow the concept of rejecting Itachi was a frightening one.

Perhaps the older one could see the hopelessness in Naruto's eyes that somehow knew their fate, because he smirked ever-so slightly (just a fraction of a twitch). Naruto flinched at the new expression, taking into account the notion that he'd never seen a _single_ emotion on Itachi's face before today.

"Does it really matter?" It was a rhetorical question at best (at worst a bona fide threat), but the Uzumaki found himself shaking his female head. "Errands though, if you're curious."

Finally releasing Naruto from his intense gaze, the Uchiha with the inexplicably feline movements walked around the stunned boy-turned-girl, a slight lilt in his gait. Naruto stared after him morosely for a moment _(why me, why me, why me)_, and Itachi had barely gotten seven feet before he looked over his shoulder. His eyes were filled with barely perceptible annoyance.

"My patience is limited. Follow."

For some reason, _that_ comment was what finally got to the brunette (fe)male. "Hey, don't order me around like a lapdog, Uchiha!" Naruto screeched in a genuinely high-pitched voice even if he'd forgotten to add the female inflection.

**[He smirks wider]**

Because, of course, he'd gotten the loud, albeit adorable female to follow after him as he'd demanded, even if she was hissing vitriolic phrases at him that were anything _but_ playful.

It was so entertaining that he didn't even bother to tune the voice out.

**·**

**·**

**·**

"Do you make it a habit to coerce defenseless girls into doing your chores?"

"Coerce? I was under the impression you'd come along willingly, Kabayashi-san."

"I thought you were gonna activate your stupid Sharingan, you creep!"

"Please refrain from calling me that."

"…You say things so politely, but I feel like you're always five steps away from taking out a kunai and screaming at me to shut up."

"Hn."

**·**

**·**

**·**

By the time Naruto returned home (no longer disguised as Renge, as he'd ducked into an alleyway earlier and transformed back), his mind was spinning and he was still unsure if the events of the day had even _occurred_.

He'd spent the last three hours journeying from shop to shop at the market, picking up fresh produce and other necessities (Itachi did have a strange shopping list for some reason). Never in his life did he think he'd be doing something so…domestic with Uchiha Itachi of all people. Hell, he'd only ever _seen_ Sasuke cook one time and it'd been on a month-long mission.

_(How tiresome.)_

The sigh that left his lips was one that told of a long, arduous, and somehow quaint day, but it lingered in the air as he shrugged off his bright orange jacket and hung it up. Naruto ran a hand through his messy blond hair—god, how glad he was to have _his_ body back.

"Nice to see you again, usuratonkachi."

The voice was drenched in poisonous anger, causing Naruto to stumble back a few steps. Uchiha Sasuke sat at the head of his small table, hands folded across his chest with a look of cold fury. Confusion filled the Uzumaki at first; _what had he done to warrant such anger?_

"What the hell are you doing here, 'ttebayo?" Abruptly, the earlier portion of the day came back to him and he growled. "And what the fuck was with abandoning me? On my _birthday_ no less!"

"_Abandon_ you?" Sasuke's voice was incredulous. "You were gone when I came out, idiot! I was busy for half an hour _tops_."

**[A glower]**

"That's not what I heard!"

"And who the fuck told you I'd _abandoned_ you?"

"Itachi, 'ttebayo."

The look of complete shock on Sasuke's face—wiping away all vestiges of his anger—was almost compensation for not receiving his present, but not quite enough. Naruto continued to glare at his best friend, noticing the way comprehension slowly entered the onyx eyes.

"That bastard," The young Uchiha hissed, jumping to his feet and nearly knocking over the kitchen table, which Naruto rushed over to steady. "That creepy _bastard_; he is _not_…"

"Not what?" Naruto snapped, not seeing the connection as to why his moron of a best friend was getting so incensed.

Sasuke shot him an unfathomable look before shaking his head. "…Never mind. Just keep being your usual dense self."

Understandably, Naruto did not react well to that statement and proceeded to literally kick his best friend out his front door. Sasuke left wearing his eternally stormy visage, but for some reason his eyes seemed more conflicted than usual.

As the sky settled into something of a swirling, starry blue variety, Naruto contemplated Sasuke's words. He'd only been in the Hyūga estate for half an hour? Sure, Naruto had waited twenty-five minutes, but even that was pushing the limits of his patience—although to think that Sasuke really _hadn't_ been as preoccupied as Itachi had insinuated…

His head hurt.

Really, thinking too hard on the whole situation was driving him nearly insane, and truthfully Naruto didn't care _that_ much. Unable to ponder upon it any longer, Naruto went along with his nightly routine, heating up a bowl of ramen to eat, showering briefly, and brushing his teeth before heading off to bed.

He was neither happy nor unhappy by the time sleep began to creep over his consciousness and that might've had something to do with stupid Uchiha siblings.

—_this might've been predictable—_

It was at that time that Naruto realized he still didn't have his present.

**·**

**·**

**·**

"_You!"_

"Yes, otouto?"

"Knock it off; you promised you wouldn't!"

"Please calm yourself and elaborate."

"Don't give me that, you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"I can assure you I don't."

"He's my best friend, Itachi! Couldn't you have chosen…someone else?"

"You're being difficult again, Sasuke."

"No, _you're_ being difficult! Why can't you pick someone else…like Inuzuka Hana?"

"Sasuke, if my preferences stray towards your best friend, don't you think…"

"Fine, then Inuzuka Kiba."

"He's not my _type_."

"Stop trying to act normal. It hurts my soul."

**·**

**·**

**·**

Perhaps Naruto could've avoided the whole dilemma. Perhaps he could've swirled on by without an incident. Perhaps he could've somehow remained ignorant to the undertones in conversations he _didn't_ wish to have.

However, he was Uzumaki Naruto, son of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato, so such things were not possible. In short, he had no sense of self-preservation or _how to get himself out of complicated situations_.

So when Itachi had told _Kabayashi Renge_ the previous day to meet him for tea at a local teashop, Naruto had hesitated only for a second before agreeing. Again, the very _concept_ of turning the Uchiha clan heir down scared hm more than he'd ever admit, even under the threat of death.

**[He scrambles through his house]**

It was only his misfortune to have woken up late, even though he'd promised to be there on time. Sure, making Sasuke wait was a fun and relatively safe sport (of sorts), but Naruto didn't know how psychotic Itachi could be, and Sasuke had once mentioned that he was a stickler for schedules.

_(Hurry, hurry, hurry—)_

—_SHIT—_

He tripped over loose articles of clothing and misplaced scrolls, but even if they sent him sprawling to the floor, the blond boy still managed to crawl frantically from one room to the next.

Why was so much panic flaring in his chest? It wasn't _that_ important.

Naruto glanced at the clock above his doorway and winced at the time. Sadly though, it somehow _was_.

Food became something miniscule and forgettable (how was that even _plausible_ for him though?) in his mad dash to get prepared for his expected…meeting with the raven-haired Uchiha—not the one he usually spent time with either. In a way that just made it all the more intimidating.

_(Why are there strange jitters in me?)_

He concluded that the nervousness must've been from the terrifying reality that he'd have to spend the next few hours in extremely close proximity to _the_ Uchiha Itachi, which was, understandably, a nerve-wracking thought at best.

—yeah, stick with that thought—

In the rush to get out of the house and to the meeting location, Naruto even forwent watering his potted plants and getting properly dressed. A pang of guilt shot through hm (he loved his plants very dearly after all), but it was swiftly shaken off.

"Fuck, did I even lock the door?" The boy grumbled to himself as he hopped from rooftop to rooftop. He wracked his brains and despite coming up with nothing, the blond decided it wasn't so important.

The sombre reality was that he did not own anything that was particularly worth stealing.

—it didn't really affect his heart, but his smile did drift off to other places—

**[Jumps and jumps]**

Halfway through traversing the village, the Uzumaki realized how _himself_ he still was. Quickly rectifying that with a simply hand-seal, he felt his hair lengthen and height decrease. The smoke was left behind in his haste, but that wasn't the hugest of deals.

Not more than three minutes later, the teashop came into view. It was not exactly a foreboding place—not with pretty glass windows and thatched awning—, but somehow Naruto could _feel_ the overwhelming strong presence of Uchiha Itachi within the shop.

**[He gulps]**

Struggling to muster up his courage, the boy-turned-girl leapt from his vantage point onto the trottoir beneath him. Quick, carefully calculated steps (which managed to give him a _fresh_ headache) led him across the street, and the heavily pounding heart in his chest was deftly ignored.

—_oh really?—_

—_was it really?—_

It might've been pathetic, but he flinched slightly when opening the flimsy door, the chimes hanging overhead ringing in the wind and startling him. False-green eyes landed immediately on the pale Uchiha who hadn't even glanced up at the noise. It was almost unnerved how unruffled he was.

Naruto grit his teeth and stalked forward, roughly pulling out his chair. Again, the heir to the—arguably—strongest clan in Konoha did not even blink, continuing to sip his jasmine tea.

Naruto wasn't sure if this tranquility relaxed him or alarmed him further.

"…You're late," was Itachi's eventual remark when he finally glanced up. The (fe)male grimaced, more because of worry than guilt.

"Uh, yeah. I got up late. I'm really sorry." He scratched behind his head, staring only at the creamy green wall behind Itachi's head. He didn't _really_ think Itachi was insane enough to activate his kekkei-genkai, but wariness was something that'd been branded into him from an early age (even if he sometimes ignored those lessons).

"Precisely ten minutes late," The Uchiha continued, not even needing to check a clock (the accuracy must've come from spending months in harsh terrains without a watch handy and only equipped with an unreliable sun).

The maelstrom-like one groaned. "I _apologized_, 'ttebayo. Can't we just cut a check and call it a day?"

**[A twitch]**

"…Pardon?"

It was probably sad that this was the most shocked he'd most likely ever see Itachi.

Nevertheless, pouty coral lips twisted up in a grin, exposing two rows of pearly teeth. "Ah, it's nothing!" He snickered, enjoying Itachi's sole quirked eyebrow. The Uchiha snorted softly, and it was so imperceptible that Naruto almost missed it.

"It's almost scary to see you act human."

That made Itachi pause. "…Clearly I _am_ human, therefore one would assume—" Naruto cut hm off with a wave of his dainty-female hand.

"I _get it_, 'ttebayo. Jeez, would it kill you to not answer so robotically once in a while?"

Itachi almost _pondered_ this and Naruto had to keep from smashing his head into the table. However, there was _something_—and Naruto couldn't be sure of just what, but it was lovely in small ways—…something slightly gentle about the way Itachi's face smoothed out even when he was only pondering such shallow thoughts. Just the way his eyes trailed off as if he were staring through walls, and the way his fingers moved to cradle the cup in his hand.

There was a humanity there even more potent than Naruto's own.

**[His cheeks flush scarlet]**

Breaking away from his thoughts, the Uchiha heir did not frown, but barely discernable perplexity was shining in his star-less night eyes. It probably had something to do with his red cheeks, Naruto was sure, but when he raised his hand to brush his fingertips against his cheek, a wetness collected around them.

They were fresh tears, and he still did not know why, even moments after brushing them away.

"Ah, I'm sorry," He apologized with a renewed spirit and brighter grin, "Something came over me. Girl stuff, you know."

_(It's a lighter excuse than the wind.)_

Maybe his henge was doing messed up things to his emotions.

Wordlessly—without giving Naruto notice or anything of the sort—the Uchiha stood up, towering over the other boy. Long fingers wrapped around his thin arm and tugged him up abruptly (and it somehow didn't hurt him at all). Naruto might've squeaked—_no, no, no he didn't_—, but it quickly melted away when he was dragged back through the door he'd only walked through minutes ago.

"Hey, what're you—where are—what about the tea?" Naruto spluttered out in protest, although no exactly contesting to being yanked through the streets.

"You don't seem like the tea-appreciating type," Itachi mused carefully, "Besides, I already paid for mine."

**[Blink]**

It was now Naruto's turn to be perplexed (and he tried to resist blushing again as curious onlookers watched as Uchiha Itachi pulled a nameless kunoichi after him, with a fraction of a smile on his lips). "…Did you just attempt to joke?"

The older one did not dignify that with a response.

Streets became less frequent as they walked and soon Naruto was willingly following alongside the other, Itachi's hand having slipped down to just barely brush against the younger's. The breeze was cool and clung to his exposed skin, but it was a pleasant sort of feeling. Where the silence hung, Naruto found comfort instead of the stress he would've usually felt.

—in all good reason, he could count on one hand the number of times he'd been in the same room as Uchiha Itachi—

_(So why was it so natural?)_

They seldom talked and yet talked about things that could only be far from relevant or irrelevant. Cold capsules clenched around them, freezing their skin and eyes, but it all melted away in trace amounts. Their voices carried through the airwaves, muffles but soothing, and it tickled Naruto's ears and made him laugh wholeheartedly.

"Oh my god, I keep forgetting there are so many reasons why Sasuke-yaro hates you."

"Please don't tell me you're going to make my otouto the subject of discussion."

They were trivialities to talk about, but _sometimes_ the sentences held undercurrents to them, and Naruto remembered to look underneath the underneath, even if he couldn't see very well. But they were glaringly obvious things that somehow had the most profound effects on hm.

Obviously…he…

Oh, he didn't really know what to think. All he could feel were the voices tickling his ears and the cold air around him that did not matter. They trudged through the makeshift forests where trees of all sorts pushed from the ground and fanned out far-reaching branches that were grappling for the sky, and the sun burned brilliantly above them even if it sank, and sank, and sank behind rocky mountains.

He would quickly come to the conclusion on his way home that Itachi made him feel more at peace than anyone else.

**[His heart lifts]**

And he didn't know where or what it was.

**·**

**·**

**·**

"Another date?"

"Sasuke, you speak too much."

"Don't insinuate that I'm annoying or anything, _nii-san_. I'm just starting conversation."

"I don't know how it concerns you, but yes."

"…"

"…Is there anything else you wish to say?"

"You know you better fucking well be in love with him by the end of this, right? Don't mess with his emotions; I'll bury you alive, I swear."

"Your threats are meaningless to me, however I should inform you that your whole speech was redundant."

"…Huh, what—"

"Goodnight, otouto."

"…_Aniki—you_—"

**·**

**·**

**·**

He woke up earlier and missed fewer deadlines, growing decidedly sunnier—so sunny that many of his friends commented on it, even the ever-shy Hinata who looked like she was about to keel over just from _speaking_.

They were worried and wary and confused and wondering as to _when it'd happened_, but the truth was the peacefulness in Naruto's soul flitted by all of theirs, and they could not help but smile. It was clichéd in the extremes (which Kiba let him know with a punch to the head), but they couldn't help it because it was _Naruto_.

"Dobe, your happiness is going to make me sick."

"Teme, your face is going to be rearranged in a few minutes."

But even when Sasuke said words that should've been sardonic and hurtful, there was a lilt to them. Just slightly, and in that lilt, the Uzumaki could see the approval in his best friend's eyes, as if Sasuke _knew_ and had no qualms with it.

Which was farfetched, of course, but it didn't stop Naruto from freezing up momentarily and refusing to make eye contact with the young Uchiha for days.

**[Coughs]**

Plans were made day after day—postponed regularly for missions, but nothing unmanageable—, in spite of rain or shine or the coming snowfalls of December. It grew almost into a schedule, and Naruto no longer forgot to wake up or water his plants or lock his door because it all came easily.

He glanced at the back of his hand.

—_the waves are rushing past—_

Minato saw his son grow lighter while still resting on the ground and felt the tell-tale smirk grow on his thin lips.

"He's still kind of stupid," Kushina didn't forget to remind him as he watched his son sprint across the village. The Hokage's tower really did have the best viewing point.

"He gets it from you," The Namikaze chirped back promptly, never looking away from the blond head weaving through the crowd.

A spatula came out of nowhere and the Hokage barely ducked out of the way, reminding himself to question his wife as to why she brought such things around with her.

But…somehow…

**[The boy glances down]**

He was still staring at delicate fingers tipped with lavender nails, and somehow he'd gotten so used to them that he couldn't differentiate these from his male ones. They flexed and wiggled, but it was almost _hard_ to remind himself that they could disappear on a whim.

And even though he'd already discovered that the emotions had nothing to do with his new body, he could not find it in him to pull the body away from the emotions. Even when his heart tried to break his rib cage open and create quite a gory mess at only small Uchiha-smirks, he could not pull away.

—_the waves are drawing back—_

The truth in the matter was he'd begun to despise the name Itachi called him by—so much so that it made his blood still and his nails itch to scratch out his _stupid, hollow, uninteresting_ eyes. And Naruto had taken to interrupting the Uchiha before he could say that horribly common and uncommon name.

Those oxymoron were beginning to appeal to him.

_(So reality blurred with what he wanted to be realty.)_

But no matter how long he kept on the henge, it was only ever a mask (or perhaps not so much a mask, because masks could be used when absolutely necessary, and this was…not). It never glued itself to him and stopped being an illusion.

The remains of fear had long ago disappeared, but he struggled with the _'what-ifs' _and probabilities of admitting the truth.

And he was…still somehow…

"What's wrong, Renge-san?"

There it was again—that loathsome name coupled with the voice that made his heart tumble over messily onto his floating ribs. Onyx eyes peered down into somewhat-bleak green ones, and Naruto fought back the urge to break something.

"Nothing." It was an automatic answer, and he almost had no control over it as the words formed and were released. The lightning fast fays they'd spent talking and fighting and being the same (and not) were swiftly growing painful—never dull, but suddenly he'd take more blows in spars and say less things during chats.

The clichéd theme was running overboard, causing streams to form where none of them should've; and they were turned into murky rivers without real depth to them.

—_you're sucking the sun out of us—_

At the present moment, right in the middle of their current activities, Itachi halted in place, barely dodging a roundhouse kick from the other. The brunette one (who wished he could have the will to rip out his hair) scowled fiercely, canine teeth revealed from behind a curled upper lip. He launched into a new slew of attacks.

Time after time, the clan heir effortlessly evaded the flurry of punches and kicks and swipes, keeping nimble on his toes. Somehow the movements were fluid, a dance from one center point to the next; and Itachi pulled it off with ease even as Naruto came after him with ruthless attacks that could've broken bones and shattered spines.

"Stop moving so much!" The frustration built up within him and boiled over in the form of sharper movements (that were not precise _at all_).

**[A mocking smile]**

"Isn't that the very point of sparring?" Just as he said that, shattered bark exploded from a nearby tree. The smile on his face softened out, but Naruto's red-green eyes could not make out the subtle switches.

"Stop it, stop it, _STOP PLAYING WITH ME AND FIGHT!_"

The roar carried over the training grounds at an unusual height and pitch. It was guttural and could've been tugged from resisting vocal cords—Itachi revelled in it as his feet brushed against the snow-covered grass.

**[Heavy breaths]**

The other was standing mere feet from him, panting and glaring at him through mix-coloured eyes that almost had the Uchiha smirking widely. The figure was completely mismatched and unsure of what to do—from bi-coloured eyes to blond-brown hair to the lithe body that seemed to be sprouting up even as it breathed.

"Good."

It was a single word, but Naruto found it in all of his frustrations and stresses and frayed edges that he couldn't cling onto—

He didn't want it to overflow even if it already had—he'd convince himself that there were still things salvageable, a pride he could hold onto of some sort. A hand fell onto his shoulder and Naruto blinked up to the dark shape that shielded him from the sun.

"Now are you going to take off that henge and have a proper match with me, Naruto-kun?"

—the waves froze over—

The whole time they'd been in this imbroglio_… (which we were not)_. Naruto allowed the shock to course his veins and erase the thin Chakra layer from around his body—leading to fair hair and flat chests that were much more to the Uchiha's liking. The overflow had paused, seeping back into where it'd come from without word or complaint.

_(And he said it with such insouciance…)_

"Since when—"

"Did you really think I was ever fooled, Naruto-kun?"

All of a sudden, Naruto felt like a bigger idiot than he ever had before.

**[Wider eyes]**

"And you didn't say…" The trail off was included but would've been cut off had it been a second later by gripping fingers and descending lips.

They burned and burned and—_perhaps he'd been kidding himself the whole time, but it didn't matter_—something turned icy against his own (although that might've just been his blood). On the edge of the riparian, tanned fingers wove through darker hair, and systematically everything else went blind.

The tintinnabulations of the chimes still rang in Naruto's ears.

**[His heart caught onto his floating ribs]**

**·**

**·**

**·**

"So you finally stopped using that stupid guise, dobe?"

"…How'd _you_ find out?"

"I figured it out, of course. Not all of us miss the obvious."

"I feel like this is a shot and I don't want to respond."

"Putting that aside, I realized this morning that I never gave you your birthday present."

"…Yeah! You bastard, that was months ago!"

"You were too preoccupied with canoodling with my brother to remind me, dumbass. But calm down, I've got it now. Here…"

"…"

"…"

"…Sasuke-yaro, is this supposed to be a joke?"

"No; it's a _message_."

"…"

"…"

"SASUKE, YOU GAVE ME A BOX OF CONDOMS."

"The message is _play safely_, if you're too dense to pick up on it."

"…I really have no words."

"Tch. Happy birthday, moron."

**[A grin]**

\.../

_**A/N:**_** Oh my god, this was the fastest I ever wrote something so long and I think I'm going to die. I hope it wasn't stupid and you actually enjoyed it? Alright time to hide my face *scurries off***

**-Atom-**


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